Digital footprint and online reputation
Discover your digital footprint
Your active footprint vs your passive footprint
Active digital footprint
Your active footprint is anything you knowingly do online, like:
- Sending an email to friends or family
- Liking, commenting or sharing something on social media
- Filling in forms.
Passive digital footprint
A passive digital footprint is when data about you is collected without your direct intention while you're online. Some examples include:
- Your location being shared online or through an app
- Browsing products or making purchases
- Following a link to read an article.
Without the use of privacy controls, these types of activity can be available for anyone to search and see.
Any of these things can be collected and used to provide you with targeted advertisements or information. Every interaction you have online adds to your digital footprint, shaping how others see you and how companies or organisations may use your data. So, whether you’re intentionally leaving data or not, it could be a permanent reminder of your past online activity.